Most Loved Features:

• Drag-and-drop landing page builder
• BoltBot intelligent AI chatbot
• Streamlined application and decisioning
• Conversations and campaign builder

Student Information System

• Workday

Since Implementing Element451:

• Conversions through RFI forms have increased 249% year-over-year.
• Impressions have increased 153% and clicks have increased 45%.
• Cost per thousand impressions has decreased 26%.

Muhlenberg College School of Graduate Studies is located in Allentown, Pennsylvania, and is part of the larger Muhlenberg College institution. 

The graduate school offers a variety of programs, certificates, and continuing studies in fields such as education, medical and organizational leadership, and applied analytics. Most of their programs are designed to be accessible to working adults and are set up in a low-residency hybrid format. 

Through the leadership of Senior Director of Marketing and Recruitment, Shane Baglini, Muhlenberg recently transitioned its digital marketing efforts in-house while also changing CRM systems simultaneously, moving away from longstanding relationships with several marketing agencies and into Element451’s all-in-one enrollment marketing CRM solution. 

The shift was driven by the need for more flexibility and creativity in marketing campaigns, as well as a desire to save on costs. Additionally, Baglini knew that reaching the right students required a more personal approach that could only come from the institutional knowledge among staff and faculty.

Personalizing Outreach for Graduate Learners

Having launched the graduate school in early 2020, Muhlenberg faced the challenge of marketing to potential graduate students in various industries, with different income levels and demographics. As a result, the marketing team had to custom-build their audience and optimize campaigns accordingly.

According to Baglini, the right staff was essential to achieving success in this area. 

With a marketing team of only four people, including a business-to-business specialist, Muhlenberg needed the right resources in place to create a more personalized and engaging enrollment marketing strategy. 

The right mix required a more robust digital presence and easier ways to measure the success of each campaign.

Easily Bringing Marketing In-House with Element451

Muhlenberg’s large contract with their outside agency did not allow for flexibility in their marketing efforts. While the results were decent, the team believed that they could do a better job in-house, given their deep knowledge of the institution and students. 

“Divesting from that large agency relationship allowed us to create the multiple touchpoints that we need for our audience, including videos and out-of-home advertising, to create a more effective marketing mix," explained Baglini.

Muhlenberg also shifted to Element451's all-in-one CRM to enhance its digital presence. The CRM allowed the team to integrate all aspects of their marketing efforts, including admissions, financial aid, and enrollment management. 

The team went live with bringing their marketing efforts in-house on the first day of the fiscal year and saw immediate success.

Streamlining Campaign Generation and Student Support

With Element451, staff can easily tweak and adjust its campaigns to highlight different aspects of its programs based on student feedback and career goals. Now, a full marketing campaign for a new academic program can be created in just one week.

Element451 also freed up time for the admissions team through the use of the integrated intelligent chatbot, BoltBot, which is powered by OpenAI and provides prospects live support instantly and around the clock.

This intelligent bot is not limited to keyword matching. It understands the context and meaning behind every question and provides accurate answers. Plus, it will continue to get smarter as Baglini and the team feeds it with content and knowledge specific to Muhlenberg.

Two Schools, One CRM

Muhlenberg needed a system to handle its graduate school operations as well as undergraduate adult degree completion admissions and enrollment management. 

To do so, Muhlenberg and Element 451 developed separate yet unified processes within the system, including a logic-based application specific to each school, coordinated admissions and application review rules, and various student-facing communications to provide distinct experiences for each audience.

The Numbers Don’t Lie: A Clear Return on Investment 

The results were impressive, with a 249% year-over-year increase in conversions through RFI forms, 153% increase in impressions, 45% increase in clicks, and a 26% decrease in cost per thousand impressions. 

In just 30 days, the team generated more inquiries from paid advertising using Element451 drag-and-drop customizable landing pages than in the previous six months.

The All-in-One and Right Sized Solution

Muhlenberg College School of Graduate Studies successfully shifted its digital marketing efforts in-house, using Element451’s all-in-one CRM and AI-powered solutions to improve its digital presence and increase conversions. 

By extending the efforts of Baglini’s four person team, expediting the creation of multiple touchpoints, and using a comprehensive CRM to create cohesion across the school, Muhlenberg was able to target custom audiences effectively, generate more inquiries, and save on costs.